Something has changed at OnePlus. Not too long ago, we got to see the OnePlus 15 and straight out of the box, there were some concerns. As OnePlus’ flagship that took the competition to the iPhones and Google Pixels of the world, the OnePlus 15 felt lacking in key areas like cameras and software design. Hence, when the OnePlus 15R was teased, hopes weren’t high. As is the ritual with all its ‘R’ series premium phones, the OnePlus 15R was expected to be a phone solely meant for high-performance gaming, with everything else being an afterthought.
Spoiler alert – that bit is true. The OnePlus 15R is a gaming phone that encroaches on the territory of the iQOO Neo 10, with the only exception that OnePlus is commanding a premium on the price tag.
The OnePlus 15R starts at Rs 47,999, which is a premium over the OnePlus 13R from earlier this year. A quick look at the specifications sheet struggled to justify that increment in the price tag – one less camera, the loss of the iconic OnePlus design, and a slower charging standard.
Hence, things don’t seem positive on paper. Or, do they?
Design
The new 2026 OnePlus premium phones are trying hard to ape the iPhones and the OnePlus 15R affirms the motive. While the OnePlus 15 was ‘inspired’ by the iPhone 16 Pro, the OnePlus 15R has taken its inspiration from the iPhone 16/iPhone 17. The new squared-off camera deco can be passed off as any Realme or Oppo midrange phone.
While the design is dull, the aluminium mid-frame provides a strong build and the smooth matte glass back makes it luxurious to touch. Couple it with the IP66+IP68+IP69+IP69K certifications and the OnePlus 15R is a phone that could survive the worse conditions easily. The Plus key also makes it to the 15R, offering a customisable key to map certain basic device settings.
Display
Similar to the OnePlus 15, the OnePlus 15R sports a massive 6.83-inch 1.5K LTPS AMOLED display. The standout feature is the 165Hz refresh rate, which works in supported games only – the screen defaults to 120Hz for the rest of the time. Sadly, the lack of an LTPO panel from its predecessor means that the OnePlus 15R can’t reduce the refresh rate to 1Hz to save power. The display quality, however, is on par with expectations for a modern-day premium phone, delivering vibrant colour profiles and adequate sharpness. No complaints here.
Performance
OnePlus proudly announces that the OnePlus 15R is the world’s first smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. While it seems like a lower-powered derivative of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the chip here is essentially slightly underpowered than the Snapdragon 8 Elite, as far as synthetic benchmarks are concerned. However, in the real world, the 8 Gen 5 is a fast chip for any Android phone – games are handled in the best of ways, and the additional heat dissipation measures ensure a consistent gameplay experience, whether you play BGMI or indie titles. The 8 Gen 5, along with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, is likely to remain so for at least the next 3-4 years, provided how OnePlus tweaks the OxygenOS software.
OxygenOS 16 – that’s where there are concerns. Out of the box, Oxygen OS 16 runs exceptionally smoothly, with fluid animations and great memory management in the background. For those who care solely about performance, this Android 16-based custom skin can handle all the loads with ease and never breaks under pressure. However, it is the software design where OnePlus messes up – this Oppo ColorOS 16 derivative is full of bloatware, has gaudy UI elements, and questionable visual elements. All of these don’t make OxygenOS as pleasing as it once used to be. Vivo’s OriginOS skin, in comparison, is a lot better to look at.
Nonetheless, OnePlus promises up to 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches, which should make the OnePlus 15R suitable for those wanting a long-term device.
Camera
The camera is where the OnePlus 15R makes its most noticeable compromises. The 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor for the primary camera is tuned to take decent photos in good lighting conditions. However, as soon as the light levels drop, the camera starts to struggle, and you can see the blurriness in detailing and the artificial enhancement creeping in. The colour science is inconsistent, and noise tends to creep up in challenging conditions. The 8MP ultrawide camera is sub-par and is best left for daylight use cases. With no dedicated telephoto lens, the zoom quality, which relies on digital cropping, deteriorates beyond 2x magnification. The same stands for video recording, where the phone tends to struggle with colour tones and artefacts in less-than-ideal lighting. You can, however, record 4K videos and 120 fps, if that matters.
The new 32MP front camera is a saving grace, delivering sharp, vibrant and clear selfies, though they tend to lean toward a cooler colour tone.
Battery
The battery department is where the OnePlus 15R excels. With a 7,400 mAh tank, the OnePlus 15R managed to last two full days on a single charge. Mind you that this battery performance included moderate gaming, calls, texting, internet browsing and occasional photography. Those who game more can extract a day’s worth of battery stamina easily.
For charging, the OnePlus 15R supports 80W SuperVOOC wired charging. While not as fast as the flagship 15, it still hits a full charge in under an hour. You still miss out on wireless charging, though.
OnePlus 15R review: Verdict
As a package, the OnePlus 15R is a great performance phone that checks all the necessary factors – a well-tuned high-end chip that works well with a well-optimised software and an incredible battery life. As usual with OnePlus, the camera and software aesthetics (UI) leave a lot to be desired. The phone’s build quality and the software support make up for these drawbacks to an extent.
There are, however, two factors that will affect your buying decision of the OnePlus 15R – the price and the OnePlus 13R. Starting at Rs 47,999, the OnePlus 15R is pricey for its proposition, especially considering the older-gen OnePlus 13R is better equipped and is still on sale at a much lower price. The 13R might have a generation-old chipset, but the real-world performance profile isn’t visibly worse than the 15R. With older-gen phones like the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 9A selling for similar or lower prices, your options for getting a better overall experience only increase.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this review reflect the author’s subjective take on the device after 10 days of testing and don’t reflect the publication’s point of view.
